“An [act t]o establish the County of Hardin”

poll Books for said August election to rule two columns one for and the other against such division, in which the votes shall be recorded as given for or against as the case may be, and if it shall appear from the returns of said election that a majority of the qualified voters of said County of Pope as now organized shall be in favor of the establishment of the new county of Hardin as above defined, the fact shall be so certified by the Clerk of the County Commissioners Court under the seal of his office to the secretary of state at the seat of Government, and the said County of Hardin shall therefore ^be^ considered and taken ^to be^ permantly and legally established with the aforesaid boundaries.

Sec 2. The legal voters of the counties of Hardin and pope, shall meet at their respective places of holding elections on the third monday of August ^next^ and vote for a point or points whereat to locate the seat of Justice of each County respectively, and the place within each county receiving the highest number of votes shall be and for ever remain the permanent seat of Justice within each County.

Sec 3. The legal voters of the County of Hardin shall also at the same tim and place^s^, of holding such election proceed to elect all county Officers excepting only Justices of the peace and Constables, and the two County Commissioners at present residing within the limits of the said new County, who shall

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continue to act as Commissioners of the County of Hardin in the same manner and for the same time as if no division of Pope county had taken place; the Legal voters of Pope county shall also at the same time proceed to elect county Commissioners who shall continue in office until their successors are elected and qualified.

Sec 4. The County Commissioners of the said counties1 of Hardin and pope shall within ten days after their said election meet within their respective Counties, Those within the County of Hardin at the house of Thomas Cowsut and those of the County of Pope at the Town of Golconda and lay off their respective counties into Justices districts, and do and perform such other duties as is required by law.

Sec 5. It shall be the duty of the County Commissioners of the County of Pope within twelve months from the passage of this act to proceed to sell at public auction the court house ^4^ and public square in the town of Golconda the Clerk giving at least four weeks previous notice, the purchasers giving bond with approved security for the payment of the purchase money to the county Commissioners of Pope County within a period of not more than two years, and which money when collected shall be paid to the persons to whom the present county of Pope is indebted, and if the sum of money obtained for the said court house (and public square) ^11^ shall not be sufficient to pay the whole debt which is now due from the county to individuals the counties of Hardin and Pope shall each pay an equal proportion of the sum remaining due according to the amount of taxable property in each county.

Sec 6. The county of Hardin shall be entitled to its distributive share of the funds received by the county of Pope according to the provisions of the Internal Improvement law of this state, and it is hereby made the duty of the County Commissioners Court of the said County of Pope to pay over to the county Commissioners of the County of Hardin within twelve

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months from the passage of this act, such distributive share as the said new County may be entitled to receive according to the provisions of this section.

Sec 7. The places for holding the circuit and Commissioners court within each county shall be determined by the county Commissioners respectively, and public buildings shall be erected in each County as soon as the respective County courts shall deem it expedient; the county of Hardin shall shall continue to form a part of the same judicial circuit with the County of Pope, and shall vote with the county of Pope for a member of the General Assembly until otherwise provided by law.